Bonum Certa Men Certa

How Ad Hominem Attacks Work

Ad Hominem



Summary: The shame tactics and pressure on people to not mention particular people is very much evident, more so in social control media (which is publicly accessible for scrutiny); don't be surprised if it soon becomes a taboo to express support for the very people who gave us GNU and Linux (while still fashionable to worship a famous criminal who co-founded Microsoft)

AD HOMINEM attacks (or "to the person") shift focus from ideas/issues to personalities. It's not a novel trick. It's hardly limited to software or technology debates, either; the Latin words correctly remind us of the old roots and breadth.



We recently discussed attacks on the people perceived to be leaders of Free software, notably the founder of GNU and the founder of Linux. People are supposed to feel ashamed about supporting them, as if they endorse chauvinism or something (and need to apologise upfront for such support). Failing that, maybe they'll compare Richard Stallman to Osama bin Laden and Linus Torvalds to Hans Reiser (it's going to be a disaster when he's finally freed from jail, which almost happened recently, wanting to rejoin development of the filesystem named after him). Days ago in Twitter someone insisted to me that Stallman was a practicing pedophile; maybe they'll soon tell us that the Reiser crimes (or failed attempts to reinstate his role) somehow prove Linux "misogyny", inevitably causing the murder of wives. Guilt by association is on the rise in this generation.

"People are supposed to feel ashamed about supporting them, as if they endorse chauvinism or something (and need to apologise upfront for such support)."Ad hominem tactics are cheap but very effective, as whenever an argument may be made which is strong enough (difficult to factually refute) you find a 'shortcut' such as criticising the messenger's appearance (oh look! A beard!!), lifestyle (OH! MY! God! Linus works in his bathrobe sometimes! How rude! The code must be terrible! The bugs will be awful!) or some other nonsensical aspects. Who can blame these people for wanting more privacy in their lives...?

Ad hominem tactics are a nasty, nasty thing. When we slam the EPO we always try to focus on the nature of the abuses rather than the ethnicity or appearance of people like António Campinos and Benoît Battistelli (when we speak about their nationality we typically highlight nepotism, a conflict of interest, or money-laundering aspects). We'd rather focus on what won't change with a mere change of leadership (like Battistelli choosing Campinos as his successor because he's a longtime friend and ally of his).

"Not too shockingly, slurs tend to come from IBM/Red Hat staff (regarding articles that deal with IBM/Red Hat) and one IBM/Red Hat employee surprisingly blocked me even though I had never ever interacted with her in any way (that I can recall)."One reason (a last straw) I've just decided to 'quit' Twitter is this bunch of ad hominem tactics; it would take time to explain all the context (I'd also have to log back into Twitter to take screenshots), but the gist of it is, some people refuse to comment on the actual content of my articles and instead just throw an insult at the site, the messenger, or both. No substance needed; just an insult. That's it. Not too shockingly, slurs tend to come from IBM/Red Hat staff (regarding articles that deal with IBM/Red Hat) and one IBM/Red Hat employee surprisingly blocked me even though I had never ever interacted with her in any way (that I can recall). So why block?

It's possible to incite people based on deliberate distortions. Days ago someone lied about what I had claimed, causing an outrage over something I never even said! Oh, thanks Twitter! Facts optional...

IBM is often not given enough credit for F.U.D. tactics (coined by a former employee); Microsoft 'steals' credit for that, too. But the way I see it, IBM/Red Hat is now engaging even in 'cancel culture'-like tactics. There's no need to actually counter anything presented here in this site; instead, attack Roy. And then attack people who merely mention Roy.

"IBM is often not given enough credit for F.U.D. tactics (coined by a former employee); Microsoft 'steals' credit for that, too."How very mature. What's wrong with Roy anyway? Nothing. They specify nothing. It's all innuendo. As one of them put it just hours ago: "I'm mad at myself for clicking that link before I realized what site it goes to."

OK, what's wrong with that site?

No, nothing specified. Maybe upset that the employer is being criticised for something there (never mind if about 80% of the things we write or wrote about both IBM and Red Hat are positive). What possibly upsets me more is actually attempts to make other people (even bots!) untweet mentions of Techrights. This is how 'cancel culture' works.

Congrats, IBM. You're just acquired a bunch of angry children (and grossly overpaid for them).

Like layers of an onion or a social graph-based elimination strategy these people target the 'circle' sympathetic to those whom they try to oust, silence, discredit. Remember what was done to Alex Oliva months ago because he had long supported Richard Stallman? He has been relatively quiet since then. Intimidation leads to self-censorship, which in turn enables bad things to continue unabated, without critical voices causing outrage/backlash.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Confirmed in the Mainstream Media: A Lot of Microsoft "Workloads" Were Just LLM Slop (Helping to Fake Growth for Years, as Microsoft Had Paid "Open" "AI" to Become a "Client") and Demand is Rapidly Waning, Datacentres Canceled and/or Shut Down
Anything to facilitate further accounting fraud
Taiwan's Media Covers Closure of Microsoft's "AI" Lab, It's Time to Talk About the Gradual Death of Windows and Implosion of the "AI" Bubble
Earlier this week we showed that mostly Asian media had the 'nerve' to mention Microsoft silently shutting down its 'AI' lab
More Gains for GNU/Linux, Based on Web Surveys
the Steam site shows rapid growth for "Linux" this month
 
Microsoft's Trouble in Africa and Asia
A new all-time high for GNU/Linux
Brett Wilson LLP Reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)
The saddest thing in all this is that law firms can maintain high standards shall they wish to
Links 03/04/2025: Tariff Pains and C.D.C. Cuts
Links for the day
StatCounter: Microsoft is Masking a Disaster, It's Way Behind DeepSeek Already and Interest in LLMs Has Waned
it turns out the money "raised" for "Open" "AI" may not even exist at all
Links 03/04/2025: SoftBank Money for Microsoft "Open" "AI" Probably Doesn't Even Exist, Wikimedia Foundation Blasts LLM Nuisance While Microsoft Admits Demand Has Shrunk
Links for the day
Gemini Links 03/04/2025: Patch Panel and Pictures
Links for the day
Islamic Republic of Iran: GNU/Linux at All-time High This Month, Windows Falls to 12%
Vista 10 is up this month despite being "end of life" (EoL) soon
Indonesia: All-Time Highs for GNU/Linux
What's noteworthy right now is the growth of GNU/Linux
statCounter Says GNU/Linux Usage is Up Again (Internationally)
some preliminary April data
Only on April 1st Can the Free Software Foundation Associate With Microsoft's Open Source Initiative (OSI)
We saw some pranks that day linking the FSF to Microsoft (e.g. "endorsing" Windows)
IBM Gets Rid of Kelly Chambliss as Mass Layoffs Reported in IBM Consulting, IBM Loses Key Contracts/Graft
IBM Consulting has been in disarray lately
Slopwatch: Anti-Linux Articles, Not Even Written by Humans
Why aren't Web sites more vocal about this problem?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, April 02, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, April 02, 2025
Links 03/04/2025: Apple Fined Over Secret Surveillance, "Elegant Writer For A More Civilized Age"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 02/04/2025: Books and Cold Tea
Links for the day
Links 02/04/2025: More Layoffs, Nokia Again Takes Advantage of Illegal and Unconstitutional Patent Court With Nokia Staff as 'Judges'
Links for the day
Links 02/04/2025: Seizures and Returns to Windows of 24 Years Ago
Links for the day
LLM Slop Helps Obscure and Distort News About Layoffs (IBM, GAFAM)
It's hard to find accurate information
Links 02/04/2025: Microsoft Developers Are Threatening to Go on Strike, World Backup Day Noted
Links for the day
Gemini Protocol Has Growing Appeal (the Web Got Too Bloated and Full of LLM Slop)
For any "data plan" with bandwidth limits or "tiers" it would be cheaper to use/browse Geminispace
The Web Can Survive LLM Slop, But Only If We Collectively Shun and Discourage Serial Sloppers
Doing nothing ought not be a possibility
Amid Secret Shut-downs and Mass Layoffs at Microsoft (4 Waves of Layoffs in 3 Months of 2025) Some Microsoft Staff Expected to Go On Strike
workers going on strike
Gemini Links 02/04/2025: No more on Mastodon and Gemini Mention Script in Go
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, April 01, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, April 01, 2025
My Motion Disbarring or “Striking Off” Brett Wilson LLP for Enabling Violent Americans Who Try to Crush Microsoft Critics in the United Kingdom by Multiple SLAPPs
"Guns for hire" (for Microsoft people who received Microsoft salaries)
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Hijacked Again by Patent Litigation Industry, as President Cheeto Prioritises Aggressors
The "mafia" has taken over the "industry" and the Federal system (justice and constitutions trampled upon)
Ubuntu Slop and FUD Manufactured With LLMs and Funded (by Oneself) 'Studies'
Slop and FUD are ruining the Web
Gemini Links 01/04/2025: Games and More
Links for the day
Links 01/04/2025: Apple Fined $162M for Privacy Abuses, Disinformation Online a Growing Concern
Links for the day
Why We're Reporting Brett Wilson LLP for Apparently Misusing Their Licence to Protect American Microsofters Who Attack Women
For those who have not been keeping abreast
Newer Press Reports Confirm That Microsoft Shuts Down 'Hey Hi' (AI) Labs Despite All the Hype
The "hey hi" (AI) bubble is not sustainable
Links 01/04/2025: Mass Layoffs at Eidos and "Microsoft Pulls Back on Data Centers" (Demand Lacking); "Racist and Sexist" Slop From Microsoft
Links for the day
Stefano Maffulli and His Microsoft-Funded OSI Staff Are Killing the OSI and Killing "Open Source" (All for Money!)
This is far from over
Gemini Links 01/04/2025: XKCDpunk and worldclock.py
Links for the day
50 Years of Sabotage and a Gut Punch to Computer Science (and Science in General)
Will we get back to science-based computing rather than cult-like following?
Techrights Headlines as Semaphore
"If you are hearing this, thank you"
3 Months in 2025, 4 Waves of Mass Layoffs at Microsoft, Now Offices Shut Down Permanently
"A recent visit by the South China Morning Post confirmed that the office was dark, unoccupied, and had its logo removed."
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, March 31, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, March 31, 2025